The Book Store
by kphillips
Summary: You never know who you are going to meet in a book store. Pre X-files.


The Book Store  
  
By Katie Phillips  
  
January 2004  
  
Disclaimer info: I know they're not mind and I promise to   
  
take very good care of them.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Keywords: Pre-Xfile; Mulder/Scully  
  
Archive: Sure, just let me know where  
  
Feedback: Makes me so happy. Email me at   
  
xfstories@yahoo.com.  
  
Summary: Who knows who you will meet at the book store.  
  
Author's notes: This piece is so short that I didn't put   
  
it through the beta process. Forgive me if I made any   
  
blatant mistakes.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
She wasn't the sort of woman that normally attracted his   
  
attention. He usually went for brunettes with incredibly   
  
long legs and oversized chests. There was something about   
  
this woman, though, that caught his eye as she browsed   
  
through the New Age section of the book store.  
  
Perhaps it was the fact that she looked so out of place.   
  
The New Age section usually attracted people that looked   
  
like they were on their way to their physic or just   
  
returning from a Grateful Dead show.  
  
The woman who caught his eye was dressed in somewhat tight   
  
fighting jeans and a black sweater that contrasted nicely   
  
with her red hair. She was petite but the clothes she wore   
  
gave a hint of the curves that lay beneath.  
  
He smiled as he peered over his copy of "New   
  
Interpretations of Buddhist Meditations" when he saw her   
  
reach for a book on the top shelf. Even going up on her   
  
toes she wasn't tall enough and he stifled a chuckle as she   
  
looked around for something on which to climb to reach her   
  
destination.  
  
"Allow me." He said from behind her. He was about to make   
  
some sort of sarcastic comment but stopped when she turned   
  
towards him and looked at him with two of the bluest eyes   
  
he had ever seen.  
  
"Thanks." She said smiling up at him. "I'm sure Barnes and   
  
Noble will appreciate the fact that you are keeping me from   
  
climbing up their bookcase."  
  
He tore his eyes away and chuckled. "Would you really do   
  
that?"  
  
"Perhaps." The woman quickly gave him the once over when   
  
he turned his attention to the bookcase. "Not that one,   
  
the one to the left with the black cover."  
  
He brought down the book and handed it to her a smile   
  
creeping over his face. "Crystals And The Human Spirit."   
  
he read handing over the book. "Can't say I have ever read   
  
it." He continued smiling until the woman raised her   
  
eyebrows in question.  
  
"What?" She said smiling back. Normally she would be   
  
insulted, but something about this man's hazel eyes   
  
intrigued her.  
  
"It's nothing." He said a bit embarrassed.   
  
The woman raised another eyebrow indicating that she didn't   
  
believe him.  
  
"Okay, it's just that you don't look like the crystal using   
  
type." He said a bit sheepishly.  
  
The woman frowned a bit and then smiled as she looked down   
  
at her outfit. "Are you always so observant?"   
  
He shrugged. "Sometimes."  
  
"The book is for my sister. She is into everything New Age   
  
and her birthday is tomorrow."  
  
"She likes crystals?"  
  
"Oh yeah, swears by them." The woman tried to keep her   
  
eyes on his face. She found it difficult since he was   
  
wearing a black leather jacket and that particular piece of   
  
clothing had always been a weakness of hers.  
  
He smiled at her and gestured towards the coffee bar   
  
located at the back of the store. "If you have a minute or   
  
two, we could have a cup of coffee and I could perhaps give   
  
you some pointers on what your sister might like."   
  
The woman looked up at him his face full of hope. Under   
  
normal circumstances she would politely refuse such an   
  
offer. She was definitely not the type to get picked up in   
  
book stores. She opened her mouth to say 'no' and was   
  
surprised at what came out instead.  
  
"Okay, I would like that."  
  
He smiled at her and followed her gently guiding her with a   
  
hand on her back.  
  
They spent the next hour discussing a variety of books and   
  
topics. They agreed on very little. He was a one to dream   
  
and to believe in the bizarre. To her seeing was   
  
believing. They both enjoyed the conversation immensely.  
  
"My goodness look at the time." She said glancing down at   
  
her watch. "I'm supposed to be at my mother's house for my   
  
sister's party in a half and hour."   
  
She rose from the table picking up the book he had   
  
recommended to her. "Don't worry, they gift wrap." He   
  
said following her to the cashier.  
  
He watched as she paid for the book and chose wrapping   
  
paper that depicted her conservative nature and the not   
  
that of the recipient. He shook his head wondering, again,   
  
what intrigued him about this woman so different from   
  
himself.   
  
He was pulled from his thoughts as she hailed a cab outside   
  
the store. "Goodbye." She said turning towards the car.   
  
He stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm.  
  
"I can't call you if I don't know your name." He said his   
  
eyes searching hers for clues about whether or not this was   
  
truly goodbye.  
  
She looked at him for a moment or two as if trying to   
  
decide how to proceed. She smiled her mind made up. "You   
  
first."  
  
"Fox Mulder." The man said extending his hand with mock   
  
formality.  
  
"Dana Scully." She replied shaking his hand and ducking   
  
into the car. She looked at him again before closing the   
  
door. "I'm in the book."  
  
++++  
  
End of story.  
  
Author's notes: Not quite sure what inspired this little   
  
story. Perhaps it was all the discussion of books on BTS. 


End file.
